Feature Blog on Mvincent

1)How did you first hear about Etsy?:
One day I just googled something handmade I was looking for and an Etsy listing showed up. I browsed around and become a member of Etsy first as a buyer, and then eventually as a seller (: I've always loved to buy and make (and now sell) handmade things!

2)Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!:
I'm 21 years young. I live in Tampa with my boyfriend of three years and our cute kitten, Begeara. My main craft is handmade jewelry, which I sorta picked up on a whim. Sometimes I like to make big, chunky pieces and sometimes I want to very minimal pieces. I have recently rekindled my love of crocheting (and sometimes knitting) and all credit goes to my grandmother who taught me. I do little crafts here and there, like painting, drawing, sewing, building, writing, cardmaking, etc.

3)How did you get started as a designer?:
I'm from a crafy family, so I grew up crafting in all sorts of mediums. As for my jewelry, I originally made it just for myself because I could never seem to find anyhting in stores I liked enough to purchase. Then friends and family wanted in, and they were the ones who encouraged me to open my shop (:



4)What inspires you to create?:
My my family and late uncle inspire me to create, as in the verb, the action. My uncle came up with this handmade Christmas gifts idea when I was very young. The whole family participated, and the only rule was if you were physically able to do so, you must have handmade each item you gave! Even though he passed eleven years ago, most of us still handmake our gifts (: My family keep my motivated to keep creating. As for inspiration for my pieces themselves... Sometimes I can just stand in a bead store, stare at the walls, and bead combinations jump off the racks and into my head. Sometimes I will find a few charms that help me decide what matching colors or shapes of beads to use. Sometimes I see something in nature and I search the stores until I can make something to recreate that scene. And sometimes, it's just a word that inspires me (:

5)How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy?:
I blog (http://manniemandiblenews.blogspot.com), I post and participate as much as I can in the Etsy forums/threads, I am apart of the EtsyFriends Team (search "etsyfriends"), I get in touch with people who are doing art/craft/etc shows to see if I could mail them some of my promos to give out, I look for opportunities to get featured on fellow etsians blogs/websites, and I hand out my own business cards when possible. I am also looking in to starting up jewelry home parties!

6)Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?:
Follow and create from your heart, not necessarily the trends (:


Check out here shop:www.Mvincent.etsy.com